Every morning i like to start my day with a cup of tea, my journal of course, and some kind of spiritual or thought provoking reading. These days however, since the year has been fast approaching an end and 2013 is looming so very near, i’ve also been filling out a 2013 workbook (created by the wonderful Leonie Dawson), one that i discovered last year. an amazing yearly workbook that helps you sum up the closing year, and make goals and intentions for the coming year. it makes your dreams come true and i can’t recommend it enough!! (click here if you are interested in knowing more :))

I also recently discovered an electronic magazine called “Wild Sister”, created by the lovely Jen Saunders. i read one issue, fell in love with it, and then subscribed so i could read all the issues from past and the future ones! that’s how much it sang to me, and so you can imagine how ECSTATIC i was when my submission to write an article for it was accepted!! So, my blog for today will mainly consist of that very article. i wrote it to revolve around my song “And One Day You’ll Know”, written about my nephews. i poured my heart into that song, as well as the article, as well as everything i put out into the world! i hope you enjoy it <3 i would also love to offer you the “And One Day You’ll Know” Mp3 as a free download for you as a gift 😀

“A Musical Perspective on Unity”

(written by Kiyomi)

I’d always been a scared loner of sorts, when I was a young child. It was hard for me to break out of my shell and open up to people, though I craved the companionship. I did know from day one though, that I was extremely drawn to music. Perhaps because it kept me company. Perhaps because I realized that when I was listening to or delivering the music, I was able to feel a connection to people and beyond, a certain sense of unity even through my painfully timid exterior. And being a part of something bigger than myself was something I longed for. “Music is the universal language of mankind”, said American Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the 1800s. Such truth. My name is Kiyomi and i’m a musician who has through music, lived that truth. Music has the magical ability to really impact people to the core. How many times have you listened to a song and found yourself crying, or all of sudden not feeling lonely anymore? How many times has music caused you to jump up and dance and have your spirit soar?

So many countless numbers of emotions surface with music. I know that I personally find it to be therapeutic, especially when I am sad. I’ve gotten through some rough times through listening to beautifully sad music. Maybe it’s been healing because I know that at least the person who wrote the song has also experienced the emotion that I’ve gone through. I also know that I’ve performed for roomfuls of strangers before, to find people with tears in their eyes. I’ve also been on the opposite end as listener in a concert, and have found tears in my eyes. Something in the melody or words or deliverance of the song can strike a chord in you. And afterwards, random strangers can feel connected, united somehow, even be taken to an other-worldly place. And we can recognize that we are all humans, and the same. Last year I was able to finally complete something I’ve dreamed of all my life. My album entitled “Child In Me”. What’s drawn me to complete my album has always been an urgent need in me to connect people through music. Although the album tells the stories of my personal life and our specific experiences may differ, we feel the same emotions.

My goal with music has always been to reach a place in people, a place that we all share. My song called “And One Day You’ll Know”, I wrote for my nephews when I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life. I was not only going through a difficult breakup, but I was also letting go of everything that had been familiar to me my whole life up until then. A massive, painful, and necessary cleansing of the old that no longer served me, to put it another way. In the midst of all of this, my older sister gave birth to twin boys. I was out with some friends when I heard that they had been born. I rushed to the hospital and the second I held them I fell completely in love with them. And I finally felt a moment of peace. They were like angels who appeared in my life when I needed them most. And with the help of these two little human beings, I was able to start healing.

“And One Day You’ll Know”

Did you know I was crying, when you came into this world/ I was crying, when I first held you in my arms/ And one day you’ll know, that life can be dark sometimes/ So dark you just don’t know where to turn/ Did you know, when tears would fall/ I’d have to run over to see you/ And one day you’ll know, that only you could make me smile/ Through my tears, I did in fact smile/ ooh my darling ooh my sunshine/ Now it’s come to where i can feel the world once again/ All I needed was time and someone like you/ And one day you’ll know someone who’ll make you smile inside/ And my dear, I know you’ll always make me smile

We all go through periods of darkness, no matter what the cause of it may be. And through it if you pay attention, there are things that you can find, or that are handed to you that will urge you on, comfort you, keep hope alive in you. For me, it was my nephews. And I was able to focus on these lights in my life, and find a reason to smile, a reason to hope and be happy. And with the passage of time you will find peace again, and find that it was necessary to go through the painful process of letting go, in order to grow into someone stronger and better. And you just might find that at the end of the process you were left a gift. My nephews and this song were my gifts.

Perhaps you have your own version of this story. I wanted to share with you my song, and hope you can connect to it in some way. I also wanted to end with a quote, one that resonates with me so much that I included it in my cd cover. “Music is the space between the notes”, by Claude Debussy. A song is literally made up of words and notes, but it’s effect is way beyond that. If you listen with not only your ears but your heart, you can take away from it so much more than just words and notes. <3 <3 <3 always if you are interested in the full magazine, or want more information, click the pic below!